Swept out of wild card, Jays face big decisions
TORONTO >> Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looked to Hollywood to lift the spirits of Toronto fans after the Blue Jays finished one win shy of a postseason berth in 2021.
“What we did last year was a trailer,” Guerrero said through a translator at spring training. “Now you guys are going to see the movie.”
Unfortunately for Guerrero and Toronto, that movie turned into a horror show come playoff time.
The Blue Jays were swept out of their AL wild-card series against Seattle, dropping each of the two games. They were shut down by Luis Castillo in a 4-0 loss in the opener, and then blew an 8-1 lead in a 10-9 loss on Saturday.
“It’s really hard, said Teoscar Hernández, who homered twice and drove in four runs for Toronto in Game 2. “There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make me feel better for a while.”
Toronto has lost five straight playoff games and eight of nine, dating to a fivegame loss to Cleveland in the 2016 ALCS. The Blue Jays also were swept by Tampa Bay in the 2020 wild-card round.
Interim manager John Schneider went 46-28 after replacing Charlie Montoyo in July as Toronto finished one win better than the previous season to clinch the top AL wild-card spot. But when the playoffs arrived, the Blue Jays couldn’t deliver.
Even amid the pain of postseason defeat, Schneider pointed to consecutive 90-win seasons and a strong core of stars as reason for optimism.
“This group will be back in the exact same spot very, very soon,” Schneider said.
Besides Guerrero and shortstop Bo Bichette, the AL hits leader, Toronto also could bring back outfielder George Springer, third baseman Matt Chapman and Hernández. Right-handers Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman are expected to help anchor the rotation.